A database typically consists of one or more database tables for storing data values. Records that are stored in the database can be accessed using a key. In order to increase the speed of reading a desired record from a database table the use of index tables is as such known. An index table relates data values of at least one data field of the database table to keys of records that contain a given data value for that data field. For execution of a query specifying a certain data value or range of data values for one of the data fields the respective index table is thus used in order to look up the keys of records that correspond to the specified search criterion. Once the access keys have been obtained from the index table the respective records can be read instantaneously from the database.